Dr. Yzette Lanier

Biography

Yzette Lanier is an Associate Professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She is a developmental psychologist whose research broadly centers on health promotion and disease prevention in communities of color, with a special focus on preventing HIV/STIs and unintended pregnancies among African American adolescents. Using health equity and strengths-based lenses, her research seeks to understand the individual, social, and cultural factors that influence adolescents’ sexual decision-making. Prof. Lanier’s current work examines how adolescent romantic relationships influence sexual behaviors, with the long-term goal of developing effective, developmentally appropriate, and culturally tailored interventions to promote healthy romantic relationships and protective sexual behaviors among adolescents. In June 2016, she was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the CDC for an HIV behavior intervention based on the dynamics of young black heterosexual couples. She has completed a T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Health Equity Research, University of Pennsylvania, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for HIV Prevention in Communities of Color at the CDC. She holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology from Howard University. Her areas of expertise include community health, families, HIV/AIDS, infectious disease, and working with vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Research Interests

Experience